Akuma
Akuma is character from Street Fighter who guest star on Florence Bertell, he trains Antwan the way the Ansatuken/Satsui no Hadou-infused assassination art. 'Pre-Alpha'Edit Akuma and his brother Gouken were students of Goutetsu. Goutetsu taught a nameless life-threatening martial art, which incorporates elements of Karate, Judo, and Kempo. He also taught the Shun Goku Satsu (literally Instant Hell Murder), a death technique which, although incredibly powerful, puts the user in considerable danger. As the brothers progressed under Goutetsu's tutelage, a dispute arose on the true nature of their fighting style and the path to master it. Gouken, unable to accept the violent nature of his fighting style and only wanted to embrace the peaceful and spiritual aspect of the art, left Goutetsu after he had completely finished his training to begin his own dojo, however, Goutetsu did not stop Gouken and even allowed him to build his dojo as well as being proud. Akuma on the other hand, continued Goutetsu's martial art teachings and vowed to use their fighting style as it was intended in order to become stronger. In order to learn Shun Goku Satsu, Akuma embraced the principle of Satsui no Hadou or (The Surge of the Intent to Kill/Killing Intent). Through Satsui no Hadō, Akuma was forced to give up any compassion he held towards other human beings. In addition, Akuma realized his limits as a martial artist could be expanded, and left Goutetsu's guidance of enlightenment to train alone, but after embracing the Satsui no Hadou to his fullest extent, he begin to gain a lust to fight to the death as well as losing his Humanity, Unlike Goutetsu who was able harness the Satsui no Hadou without the side affects from the the power such as losing your Humanity and developing a lust to fight to the death (It is most likely that he used the Satsui no Hadou to a small limit, unlike Akuma who used the Satsui no Hadou to his fullest extent). His return marked the end for Goutetsu - Akuma demonstrated his strength by killing his former master with Shun Goku Satsu. Goutetsu fell with an inner joy, believing his pupil was attempting to master the nameless art of Ansatsuken, but was unaware that his student had lost his Humanity from embracing the Satsui no Hadou to his fullest extent. Akuma removed the beaded necklace from Goutetsu's neck and placed it around his own, believing that he was the one who truly mastered the art and even called his master a fool for not embracing the Satsui no Hadou wholly, when Gouken came to visit his master to see how he was doing, he saw Goutetsu's lifeless body and his brother's face no longer human looking, Gouken yelled at Akuma for killing their master, Akuma howevered, said nothing and left Goutetsu and Gouken and went into the woods. Sometime later, Akuma challenged and fought his brother. With Gouken gaining the upper hand, Akuma was eventually struck down. Akuma requested death in defeat, however his brother had no intention of killing his own kin. Akuma, vowing to return, left Gouken. Years later, he returned; they fought again, and this time Gouken was supposedly killed (or so Akuma thought). Ken saw the battle as he was returning from the U.S. Martial Arts tournament. Rushing to the dojo to find it in shambles and his master apparently dead, an enraged Ken ran into the surrounding woods searching for the killer. Akuma easily defeated Ken and disappeared. Gouken's other student Ryu soon learned of his master's apparent death and began to search for Akuma in order to get vengeance towards him. Several other renditions of the Street Fighter story talk of Ryu finding Gouken's body (after falling to Akuma), who then travels the world to find Akuma. These renditions also talk of Ryu's potential to harness "Satsui no Hadō", giving him the ability to transform into Evil Ryu, (first found in Street Fighter Alpha 2) a darker and murderous version of Ryu who can not control the Satsui no Hadou's power and is equal to Shin Akuma's strength. 'Street Fighter Alpha 2'Edit Akuma begins to search the globe looking for worthy fighters to challenge and kill. Secluding himself in the shadows, he watches small tournaments and street fights, desperately seeking someone who might be able to match his strength. He is eventually challenged by a man named Gen. Gen fights an unbelievable battle, even surviving the Shun Goku Satsu by emptying his soul in time from. Just as Akuma begins to wonder whether this man is the worthy opponent he's searching for, he begins to sense not all is as it seems When Gen's mouth begins to bleed, Akuma's suspicions are confirmed: his opponent is sick and dying, and the fight not fair. Gen tells Akuma to kill him. Not wanting to carry the fight on any longer and who would not find any satisfaction in killing a dying opponent in a honorable match, Akuma leaves Gen. After the fight, Akuma becomes obsessed with Ryu and to battle him in a fair fight. Ryu eventually finds Akuma's island (known as Onigami Isle or the Gokuentou) and challenges him to avenge Gouken. While fighting Ryu, Akuma saw the potential within him. Telling Ryu to find him again when he has embraced the Satsui no Hadou fully, Akuma strikes the ground with the powerful ki of the Satsui no Hadou and disappears. The island falls apart around Ryu, who is left in the ocean to contemplate Akuma's words. Leaving his destroyed abode, Akuma thinks about all the warriors that he has encountered and wonders with excitement if one day he will fight someone strong enough to kill him in battle. This thought drives him on; finding a desolate cavern (also known as Kiga Cave) he begins to train anew and await the day when he will fight Ryu again. At some point, he defeats a Muay Thai fighter who was about to challenge the champion, Adon. Adon sees this as a challenge and sets out to find Akuma, to fight him and prove that he is stronger. 'Street Fighter Alpha 3'Edit Two years later, Akuma begins to search once more for worthy fighters whilst awaiting Ryu to embrace the Satsui no Hadō. Akuma encounters Gen once more and fights a second battle (the results of which are still unclear, though Gen's appearance in the home versions of Street Fighter IV seems to suggest he survived the fight somehow), he even fought Adon in a battle and won, but did not kill him. However, unknown to Akuma, Ryu rejects the Satsui no Hadō while battling the Shadaloo leader, Bison, declaring that a true warrior does not rely on violent intent and had given up his vengeance towards Akuma for murdering his master. 'Super Street Fighter II Turbo'Edit Akuma does not officially enter the second World Warrior tournament, although he does fight Bison to see how strong he is and even performs the Raging Demon technique on Bison. Akuma stated that Bison was pathetic for letting dark energy control him rather than him controlling such power( however Bison has always been in control of his own power and because part of his soul was inside Rose, he came back). Bison's body is eventually regenerated by Shadaloo scientists. In Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, if Akuma beats Shin Akuma, the ending is different: Akuma declares that his own greatest battle was within, and that he has mastered his own darkness (Or so he thinks). He then "fades into the shadows" to await a fighter worthy of him. 'Street Fighter IV 'Edit Akuma can be unlocked as a playable character in Street Fighter IV by meeting certain requirements. During the events of Seth's World Warrior tournament, he continues his training, and senses the Satsui no Hadou reemerging within Ryu. Immediately, he sets off to find Ryu and help him realize this power so he can try to kill him in battle. Like the other World Warrior tournaments, Akuma does not officially enter, but stays in the shadows. Eventually, he finds an unconscious Ryu in the care of his brother Gouken. Akuma, noticing that his brother has perfected the Mu no Ken (Power of Nothingness), is excited. The two brothers then proceed to fight; Ryu, being the prize (it is most likely that Akuma had lost that battle with Gouken because he was alive in his Ending of Super Street Fighter IV). His alternate costume is a rope around his waist which symbolizes what gods wore to restrict their power in Japanese mythology. His brother, Gouken, has this same costume. 'Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact'Edit Three years later, as with the second World Warrior tournament, Akuma did not enter the third World Warrior tournament, but once more lurked in the shadows. He even fought and successfully pulled off a Shun Goku Satsu on the tournament sponsor Gill, although he left without realizing that Gill had resurrected himself. Over this timespan, Akuma had trained relentlessly until finally harnessing his power and learning several new techniques, some that were meant to create tidal waves, some described as strong enough to split Ayers Rock in half, and one that could kill an opponent with a single strike. Akuma's self-taught technique is called the Kongō Kokuretsu Zan, in which Akuma channels all his power into one hand and smashes it into the ground, creating a vortex of energy upward around him. It is supposedly this technique that was used to destroy his original training ground (mentioned above), although this is mainly conjecture as he is not shown using this move until the 3rd World Warrior tournament. 'Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike'Edit Akuma continued to develop his now-incredible fighting skill, and even fought with Oro in a simple, inconclusive battle, each other sensing the other's massive chi and testing their powers. Though mutually impressed by each other's power, both men expressed some contempt for the other on a personal basis. Akuma has now demonstrated the ability to remain underwater under massive pressure for extended periods of time, and has even managed to destroy a naval submarine with a technique that he has dubbed Tenshō Kaireki Jin, it shows that Akuma will not stop his training for anybody. 'Alternate Continuity'Edit 'Street Fighter Alpha' Akuma only appears as a secret character only playable via random fighter at the character selection screen. He shares his moveset with Ryu and Ken. He defeats Bison at the end, his ending claims his quest was complete, though he feels empty. Gouken is seen in the background of his ending, as one of the people who fear and oppose him. However, it should be borne in mind that this game's story is overwritten by that of Street Fighter Alpha 2. PersonalityEdit Akuma is a seemingly brutal, angry, quite honorable and proud warrior who enjoys training and has contempt for true weaklings. He is rarely seen smiling and enjoys fighting formidable warriors, such as Ryu. He also hates it when somebody actually interferes with his training. He is also quite serious in fighting and enjoys getting stronger. In his conversations with many fighters, he tends to talk about their fists and his own. He truly hates Gouken for not using their fighting style in the way that it is intended to be used, and hates him even more for sealing off the Satsui no Hadou in Ryu. He is also very independent and fights alone. Moral Code Edit Akuma fights only to test his strength and his opponent's. This means that he will only fight opponents that will provide a challenge, hence his refusal to fight unworthy challengers under any circumstances. Akuma will only kill opponents who are as strong as he, stronger then him or who he finds worth killing, which is why he stopped his fight with Gen after realizing that he was ill and dying. While Akuma killed his brother and his teacher, he did so in the confines of the code of the warrior, where the field of battle does not distinguish between friend or foe. Akuma believes he committed no transgression whatsoever. Also, with the exception of Gouken and Goutetsu, Akuma usually only fights those who challenge him instead of picking fights. Capcom USA initially claimed Akuma was possessed by a demon, but the fabrication was easily caught and not accepted as canon. The character's name change from Gouki to Akuma (the Japanese and American names, respectively) reflects Capcom USA's attempt to accentuate the demonic nature; the word Akuma (悪魔, Akuma) means "devil" in Japanese (although it should be noted that the Japanese version of his English name uses the phonetic katakana syllabary which does not necessarily hold the same intrinsic meaning as the kanji version). Gameplay Edit Akuma has the same moves as Ryu and Ken, only much faster and more damaging. Akuma can perform the Hadōken (Gō Hadōken--Strong Surge Fist), including one performed mid-air (Zankū Hadōken--Air-Cutting Surge Fist). His Tatsumaki Zankūkyaku (Air Slashing Kick) knocks the opponent down instantly and can also juggle, his Shōryūken ( Gō Shōryūken, -- Strong Rising Dragon Fist) knocks down his opponent at the first hit and does 3 hits up close, and he can also juggle with a single Shōryūken in certain instances. Akuma also cannot be stunned in his first few appearances. To compensate for these advantages, he is usually saddled with extremely low stamina, and in Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, he has an extremely short stun meter and no EX moves. These "flaws" reflect Akuma's ability to hold back his power so as to give opponents a fighting chance. It should be noted that Akuma didn't possess these flaws in his early appearances, which caused players to consider him an overpowered character. Akuma has other notable special moves that Ryu and Ken normally lack. The Ashura Senkuu is a teleport move with very short startup and recovery which allows him to escape the corner almost at will. The Tenma Kuujinkyaku is a downwards-angled kick that he can use at the peak of his jumps; it's very fast, hard to punish and allows for combos afterward. The Hyakki Shuu is a flip attack, similar to Cammy's Hooligan Combination, that allows Akuma to either attack or grab an opponent while moving forward. He also has the Zenpou Tenshin in the Alpha games, which makes him hop and roll forward a short distance. Akuma's super moves consist of the Messatsu Gō Hadō (Murderous Strong Surge，滅殺豪波動), which is simply a high-powered Shinkū Hadōken, a Tenma Gō Zankū (Great Demon's Air Slash，天魔豪斬空), a mid-air version of the Shinkū Hadōken, the Messatsu Gō Shōryū (Murderous Rising Dragon，滅殺豪昇龍), which similar to Ken's Shōryū Reppa without the scorching effect, and the Messatsu Gō Rasen (Murderous Strong Spiral，滅殺豪螺旋), an upward spiraling hurricane kick attack. There are also two other moves: in Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, he has the one named Kongō Kokuretsu Zan (Continent Destroying Piercing Burst Slash，金剛国裂斬) where Akuma pounds the ground, producing waves of energy. In Capcom vs. SNK 2 and SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos he has the Misogi (Purifier, 禊), where he teleports above the opponent and delivers a fierce descending strike; this move homes in on the opponent's location. Akuma's most well known super move is the Shun Goku Satsu (瞬獄殺 'Instant Hell Murder/Raging Demon), traditionally one of the strongest super moves in any game Akuma appears in. In Street Fighter IV, he has the Shin Shun Goku Satsu (真・瞬獄殺 'True Instant Hell Murder/Wrath of the Raging Demon) as his Ultra Combo. In Super Street Fighter 4, Akuma has a new ultra called Tenshou Kaireki Jin (Demon Armageddon in English adaptaion). It involves him kicking the opponent in the air and following up with a powerful hurricane kick. As Akuma hits his opponent, his signature kanji appears in in the background and at the same time he utters the words "Accept death!...the other realm awaits!" After that, Akuma charges past his opponent with full force, as the kanji in the background breaks into pieces. In Super Street Fighter II Turbo, Akuma is banned in U.S. tournaments. This is because, as David Sirlin writes, "Most characters in that game cannot beat Akuma. I don’t mean it’s a tough match—I mean they cannot ever, ever, ever, ever win. Akuma is 'broken' in that his air fireball move is something the game simply wasn’t designed to handle. He is not merely the best character in the game, but is at least ten times better than other characters. This case is so extreme that all top players in America immediately realized that all tournaments would be Akuma vs. Akuma only, and so the character was banned with basically no debate and has been ever since." In Japan, Akuma is not officially banned, but there is what is called a soft ban. In other words, all top players in Japan agree not to play Akuma without there being any official enforcement of this agreement. However, on the remake Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, Akuma is toned down to ensure he's more "balanced"; his "flaws" like the very low defense clause reappear in this game and he has a much weaker Shun Goku Satsu as the only Super Move available (it's worth noting that he didn't have a super move in his original appearance Super Street Fighter II Turbo, but he was so powerful that that wasn't considered a weakness). His air fireball forces him to bounce back. Some top players claim that he is still broken, claiming that Akuma has far too many devastating setups, especially with setting up the Shun Goku Satsu. It is still currently in debate whether or not Akuma is still broken or balanced. However, the 2009 EVO championships have Akuma banned in HD Remix while he is not banned in''Street Fighter III'' or IV. Florence Bertell Fighters